Gus Posted January 19, 2006 Share Posted January 19, 2006 We have recently purchased a house near Cognac that came with an above ground pool ( approx 4ft high x 12ft across).Although is has a cover on it (torn in places) it doesn't look as if its been used for some while.If I shine a torch into the water I can see the bottom so its not full of algae as I expected.I am considering emptying it ,cleaning it and then refilling (local regulations permitting).My query is: as we have a Fosse Septique could the water be pumped into it or would that be too much.Previous owner has left some equipment for the pool so we may well have filter etc so I'm not sure whether we have what we need to clean the water without emptying.If there is anyone out there with any snippets of help or info on how to look after these things I would be much obliged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poolguy Posted January 20, 2006 Share Posted January 20, 2006 Certainly there are many issue here.One is dumping waterthe other is filtrationI would query the need to dump water on a whim without first testing it see if it is contaminated or 'unsaveable'.Even so I would hesitate at this time to be dumping an entire pool ofwater. In this time there are many regions where it is still forbiddento topup your pool due to a shortage of water -if in doubt check with theMarie. It would be more sensible to change half of it at a time I wouldhave thought. If the pool seems to have been operative then thereshould be filtration and sanitisation equipment available in whichwould be useful to get the water back to condition. .If you do jetison water I would be reluctant to aim for the fosseseptic as I am sure that it would flood it. You could however aimdirectly for the soak away so long as you take your time and don't dumptoo quickly. Having said that the salt content should be tested firstand if it is above 500ppm or so I would not attempt this as it willsalinate the soil and cause considerable environmental damage. HoweverI dont expect that to be the case as there are very few salt systemsattached to above ground pools mainly due to cost.At any rate it is possible in most cases to get water back to conditionso long as you understand the principles of sanitisation and filtrationand follow advise of a professional. I would be faily certain that aninitial Choc treatment would provide significant improvement to theclarity of the water.If you need more assistance then come back and we'll help if we can,Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will Witt Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 The micro-organisms that carry out the purification process in a fossesystem are very dependent on there being constant conditions in boththe tank ( where about 25% of the water purification takes place) andthe filter bed (where the remaining 75% of the pollutants and thepathogens are removed).If the fosse is suddenly loaded with the contents of a pool it willstop working immediately - and maybe for a long time if the water has ahigh chlorine content Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Posted January 22, 2006 Author Share Posted January 22, 2006 Many thanks for your advice. As this will be a holiday home for ourselves and family to use rather than commercial let, we will probably only get 4-6 weeks use during the summer.Is it quite straightforward to get the water ready at the start of a 2 week visit or does it need maintenence everey week of the year.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poolguy Posted February 5, 2006 Share Posted February 5, 2006 Gus Unless you have a person to look after your pool while you are not there, or afully automatic system then I think you are going to have problems.Firstly, any pool which is not kept sanitised with sufficient chlorine willturn green and decidedly unhealthy very quickly.From there, unless you are using particularly harsh sanitiser then it will takeyou the best part of 24 hours to get the pool clear with choc treatment andfrom there another 48 hours for the chlorine levels to drop to normal forswimming. That looses the most of the first week of your vacation and is quitea lot of unnecessary work.I suggest that an automatic pool controller which constantly monitors and balancesthe pH and chlorine levels would be an advantage in your case. It works if youthere or not and is very accurate.Failing that you would be advised to find someone (who also has a pool) to lookafter it for you. By that I mean that there are a lot of people providing thisservice in France who are uninformed about the principles of pool maintenanceand water sanitisation and filtration.To me its an important issue as the water is the biggest part of the pool andthe part you swim in. Its the hardest to get right and easiest to screw up.Pm me if I can be of more helpAndrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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